TV Recap & Review: ‘Creepshow’ S2, Ep. 5 – “Night of the Living Late Show”

Sadly, Shudder’s new season of Creepshow seemed to end as quickly as it started, giving us an extra-long segment in the fifth and final episode of season two. “Night of the Living Late Show” is directed by the series’ showrunner, Greg Nicotero, written by Dana Gould (Stan Against Evil, Creepshow – Season 1), and stars Justin Long (Drag Me to Hell, Tusk), D’Arcy Carden (Broad City, Barry), and Hannah Fierman (V/H/S, The Vampire Diaries). Much like the opening of the season, we’re sent off with a truly memorable segment, and possibly the most innovative Creepshow story yet. It’s your last warning…SPOILERS AHEAD!

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“Night of the Living Late Show”
Directed by Greg Nicotero
Written by Dana Gould

We’re introduced to Simon (Justin Long), who has finally finished creating his billion-dollar idea, the Immersopod. This device is the most innovative VR system ever made, as it transports the user into a film of their choice. They are free to roam the sets and even interact with the characters. Simon’s favorite film of all time is Horror Express, a 1972 Italian film from Eugenio Martin, that stars Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing. More-so, Simon has a somewhat unhealthy lustful obsession with Countess Irina Petrovska (Hannah Fierman in this segment, but originally played by Silvia Tortosa). As Simon starts testing out the Immersopod, it becomes clear that one of his only motivators for the invention was having the chance to do the virtual dirty (virty?) with the Countess.

However, with all the time Simon has put into his invention, he has neglected his wife, Renee (D’Arcy Carden), who now suspects that he only married her to use her family’s money for his inventive ideas. She brings up her concerns to Simon, who reassures her, sleeps with her, and then sneaks off to immerse himself into Horror Express once again.

Renee’s suspicions rise even more, and after Simon cancels a celebration date between the two, but insists she go without him, Renee catches Simon in the Immersopod, naked and…having a blast with the Countess. After Simon falls asleep, Renee enters the movie, and confronts the Countess about her husband’s unfaithful acts. The Countess slaps Renee, and the monster in the movie attacks her, making her realize that if you get hurt in the film, you get hurt in real life. Renee escapes and starts to devise a plan.

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Renee waits for Simon to enter the Immersopod again, but this time, manually changes the film he’s in, to the original 1968 Night of the Living Dead. Simon finds himself in the room with Ben and Barbara as they viciously fight off attacking zombies, and gets cocky, thinking he can just exit the film at his convenience. Just then, Renee reaches into the Immersopod, and snips off Simon’s thumb, making him unable to push the exit button. Simon is then overrun with zombies from the classic film and ripped apart inside the device.

How AWESOME was this segment? It was such a surprise getting to see an almost seamless transition and overlay of Justin Long in a couple classic horror films. The idea was extremely neat, reminding me of something out of a Black Mirror episode. Nicotero needed a little extra time for this one, and it paid off big. Seeing how scummy of a character Justin Long could play in Tusk, this role felt right in his wheelhouse. Hannah Fierman looked and acted so much like Silvia Tortosa, that I had to hit the IMDb to ensure they didn’t use the same actress in a dub.

The Immersopod looked exactly like some brand-new technology from this year, and the entire concept of being able to enter your favorite movies is a sci-fi dream among everyone. The fact that you can interact with the characters was just the icing on the cake of a very cool concept. This was one of my favorite segments in the entire Creepshow series, and although the season was shorter than the last, this episode was the perfect way to go out on a memorable high note.

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